Preface: Not Just Another Fraternity

Nabor House Fraternity and the Illinois Chapter offer something different to those who choose Nabor House as their college home. This history is designed to document the unique living opportunity Nabor House has provided Illinois agriculture students over its first 50 years as well as to serve as a record of the accomplishments of the organization and its members.

Fifty years ago, a small group of young students in the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois laid the foundation of an organization that would help shape the careers and personal lives of hundreds of young men for years to come -- young men who would move out into leadership roles in all facets of agriculture and related fields in Illinois, the United States, and even the world.

The Founders of Nabor House responded to a need. Their personal finances did not allow them to join existing fraternities, yet they wanted to gain some of the personal values of living in an organized house from a social development and personal leadership standpoint. Organizing the house as a cooperative so they could hold down costs by sharing the workload, yet have most of the benefits of fraternity living, seemed an appropriate answer.

The Founders of Nabor House had ideals and set up an organization to promote those ideals. Christian principles and involvement in church activities have always been a major part of Nabor House.

The Founders of Nabor House had a dream and followed through with it. They found not just a living unit for students of common interests, but a true fraternity -- a fellowship that has been sustained by the dedication of countless active and alumni members who have helped to maintain the ideals and principles upon which Nabor House was founded.

Through the years, young men who have chosen Nabor House as their college home have benefitted from the unique approach to fraternity living provided by the insights of the founders. Men of Nabor House gain experience in leadership and cooperation. Sharing in the daily workload of running a house, sharing in working out conflicts that inevitably arise when a group of strong leaders are put together 24-hours-a-day, and sharing in accomplishments and disappointments on the athletic field, in the classroom, or in personal life -- these are all part of campus living -- all part of Nabor House.

This history is a tribute to the ideals of the Founders of Nabor House and to the members over the past fifty years who have worked to see that the Nabor House ideals, traditions, and experiences were kept alive for those to follow.

The bulk of the credit for this history must be given to Sam Ridlen, one of the five founders of Nabor House, who spent countless hours over two years (1987-89) collecting and writing the information contained within these pages. Sam's dedication to Nabor House, and the ideals for which it stands, has always been an inspiration for those of us who have lived in the house and become active members of Nabor House Fraternity. His love for Nabor House and his untiring commitment to this organization has been a strong force in keeping Nabor House, not just alive, but thriving as a strong fraternity attracting young leaders and helping to hone their skills so that they may become even better leaders. A mere "Thank you!" is hardly adequate to express our appreciation for all that Sam Ridlen has done for Nabor House, not just in writing the history, but in years of service as Business Agent, Adviser, and especially as a friend to all of us. May this volume help serve as an additional token of the appreciation for these efforts as it documents so much of what Nabor House means to all of us.

We sincerely hope that this history will serve as a proper tribute to the Founders and to the members who have followed in their footsteps, men who have made Nabor House their home for a few short years, and who have adopted the ideals of Nabor House as a guide for a lifetime of cooperation and leadership in their chosen fields. May the next fifty years be even better!